Rouge
by Chaingun1701
Summary: Beacon academy is full of unique and skilled warriors but even among this diversity Don is a little off. He under went his initiation four weeks after everyone else, alone. He is not assigned to any team officially, and sports unusual and powerful weapons and powers. But no one knows the dark past he carries, a past that had followed him. This is a crossover with ... not telling
1. Lone Wolf

Chapter 1

_How do I always manage to get myself into these messes?_ Don thought as he flew like an artillery shell through the air. _I really should have gone full armor, this wouldn't be a problem if I had._

_'Full armor would negate the possibility of injury in these _circumstances,' a familiar feminine voice commented in Don's mind as the trees rushed by below seeming to be reaching out to for him.

_Too late to do anything about it now, got anything useful to say?_ Don replied.

_'If you can lower your velocity to below ninety seven kph your boots and legging will be able to absorb the impact_,' the voice replied.

He shifted his body from head first to feet first as he began to pass through the branches of the trees. _This is going to hurt_, he thought as he grabbed a large passing branch. The branch began to bend considerably before finally snapping and producing a powerful stinging sensation in Don's hands.

But the branch served its purpose and slowed Don down. He hit a larger branch with his feet, and had a momentary sensation of something slipping in his right ankle, which didn't bend as far as the first had but slowed him down even more. In fact the second branch slowed Don down so much that rather than continue his ballistic arc he fell straight to the forest floor.

Crouching he absorbed most of the landing. _Jarring but I've been through worse_, he thought as memories swam behind his eyes. _Eggs, _Don shook his head, _fucking deathtraps_.

_'Indeed_,' the voice added not indicating which thought she was replying to.

He stood up from his crouch and began to survey his surroundings. _North, need to go north,_ a growl interrupted Don's train of thought.

Turning around he found himself looking at a large black wolf like creature standing on its hind legs with red eyes and what looked suspiciously like a skull on its head. He looked at the creature as he plucked two silver cylinders from his thigh plates.

_'This creature is likely the Grimm classification Beowolf.'_

_That you Anastasia for your pertinent analysis,_ Don thought sarcastically.

"You wouldn't happen to know which way's north would you?" Don asked the Beowolf as it lunged towards him. As soon as the beast began to move the world seemed to slow down, and everything around Don sharpened. He easily stepped out of the way of the Beowolf's lunge as he flipped a switch on the cylinders in his hands.

_ 'You will have the edge in terms of speed and strength, is that _pertinent_ enough for you_,' she replied with a degree of smug.

_Yes, very. Now focus on helping me,_ he replied.

The ends of the cylinders jumped out revealing themselves to be a pair of twenty two inch long batons, electric arcs jumping up and down their length. Don brought one of the batons up into the Beowolf's jaw and felt the creature's skull snap loose from its spine.

The batons were not all the kit Don had. He was wearing think armored boots, equally thick thigh plates, gloves, and forearm plates. His armor was steel colored with light green highlights. The armor pieces had the same construction and appearance, making it look like he was only wearing part of an armor suit. He had two eight inch combat knives on each of his forearm plates and his thigh plates, Don also had another weapon slung across his back.

As the first Beowolf fell to the ground Don became aware of a second one behind him. He twisted around using the momentum from his first strike to slam his other baton into the chest of the second Beowolf. The creature collapsed from both the strike and because of the large shock the weapon had delivered.

Normally the voltage on these weapons would be nonlethal, but Don had made some modifications.

No sooner had the second wolf fallen to the ground, its heart beating its last, then two more came at Don from opposite sides. Don stood still, as though he were enjoying his victory oblivious to the encroaching danger. At the last second he dropped down while striking out with his weapons. His attack doubled over both of his opponents, and he finished them off with simultaneous strikes to the head.

Despite this display yet more of the creatures poured between the trees at the young warrior. Soon Don lost himself to the dance of battle, dodge, parry, strike, feint, feint, strike, strike.

Don cracked open the skull of the Beowolf in front of him before twisting out of the way of the one charging at his back and bringing his weapon down on its retreating cranium.

Instinctively Don swung his free weapon to his left anticipating another attack, and for a moment experienced sheer terror as the weapon met nothing but air. Don immediately looked to his right where he expected one of the creatures to be, but found nothing there.

Don looked over the battle field and to find that he was the only one standing, at the same time Anastasia informed him, '_All hostiles eliminated_.'

All of the Beowolves were on the ground, either dead or dying. Don looked at his weapons and then at the clearing full of defeated opponents, _certainly humbled you_. Don retracted one of the batons and slipped it back into his thigh plate, while walking up to the wounded wolves with the other to finish them off with a quick crack to the head.

It wasn't any sense of mercy that he finished off his opponents, it was pure practicality. A dead Beowolf can't howl, call, or whatever, to alert others of its ilk.

With the last of his opponents finished off Don considered his path forward. He could move quickly north toward his objective and probably get there in under an hour, but he would likely draw plenty of unwanted attention that way. He had dispatched this lot easily enough and he doubted any other of the "Grimm" would be different.

_'My databases indicate that some species of Grimm are more dangerous than others. Beowolves are one of the weaker species. I would recommend stealth.'_

His training and experience told him that the she had a point. Caution was likely the better part of valor in this case. _Stealth it is then_, Don thought as he watched his limbs turn transparent.

Half an hour later Don realized Anastasia was right, as he encountered particularly large Grimm apparently called a Deathstalker. _Damn thing is the size of a fucking Scorpion,_ Don thought as he watched the giant arthropod walk past. As he carefully slipped past it he thought, _wouldn't want to take that on with anything less than a rocket launcher or a SL, or a MAC_. Don smiled at the latter.

It took him almost two and a half hours to reach the 'temple' at his stealthy pace. Don walked up to a small boulder near the edge of a ledge overlooking the temple. When Don first laid eyes on the temple he silently commented, _looks like Stonehenge_.

_'While the dimensions, among other aspects, do not match I concur.'_

But the crumbling ruin was not what drew his attention. Instead Don's attention was drawn by another of Remnant's 'unique' local wildlife. In between him and his objective was a 250 foot long snake half of which was black the other half of which was white. But perhaps most disturbingly _both_ ends had a head!

_Fucking Christ!_ Don thought as he studied the creature._ Motherfucker could swallow an ATV whole._

_'That would be a King Taijitu.'_

_Thank you Any,_ Don thought sincerely, _Tactical analysis?_

_'The King Taijitu's is hide thick and resistant to both abrasion and blunt force trauma, though I have no data about its resistance to electrical shocks I would theorize that its size would provide a natural defense in this case.'_

_Recommendations?_

_'Just one.'_

Don knew what she was suggesting and, after cycling through and discarding every other battle plan he could think of, agreed. He wasn't happy about it. It felt like a waste, but he didn't have anything else with him that could bring the Taijitu down quick and easy.

Don broke invisibility and unslung the long black weapon from his back. He lowered the bipod near the front of the weapon and stabilized it on the rock he was crouched behind. Don carefully positioned his left hand on the weapon's forward grip as he slid the mag in and cycled the bolt. Finally he positioned his right hand and peered through the scope.

For a second the crosshairs didn't appear as the image shifted then stabilized with the crosshairs dead in the center. In the upper right corner of the scope the range, targeting angle, wind speed, and gravitational acceleration, but Don didn't need any of that.

_'Targeting solution complete. Crosshairs adjusted for compensation of all variables, target range 867 meters.'_

_Thank you Anastasia_, Don thought. He began to study his target, that snake wasn't moving. The white head was lying still on the ground while the black head was looking around. Don considered which head to target first. He decided to target the unmoving white head first because whichever one he shot first the second one would become an unpredictable target.

Don braced his body against the rocks as he placed his finger on the trigger. He took a deep cleansing breath followed by a second and then he forcibly exhaled all of the air from his lungs, holding his breath. Placing the crosshair on the Taijitu's head Don felt for his pulse in his finger.

Timing the shot between heartbeats Don lightly squeezed the trigger. It took only the slightest movement to fire the weapon.

A loud crack echoed through the forest and just under six hundred milliseconds later the 14.5 millimeter APFSDS round punched through the giants snake's right eye exiting it left, trailing brain matter and bits of skull.

Shocked the black head began to twist around looking for the source of the attack. Playing a hunch Don aimed straight at the snake's neck and fired. Just as he fired the second round the sound of the first shot reached the King Taijitu and it turned to look in the direction of the sound, allowing the second round to strike the front of its skull. The high velocity round ripped out the back of the creature's head ripping apart its spinal connection and spraying the liquefied remains of its brain far and wide.

_Something was bound to have heard that_ Don thought as he leapt over the rock formation in front of him while slinging his weapon back across his back. It took him just over a minute the run the near kilometer between his firing position and the temple. As he approached Don cast a side glance at the Taijatu to ensure it was dead, before entering cover behind one of the columns.

Don's finger twitched for a weapon he didn't have as he drew his batons, rounded the column, and surveyed his surroundings. There were no additional hostiles that he could see, so Don dropped his batons back in there holsters.

_'Curious.'_

_What?_ Don looked around and spotted what his mental companion had.

"Chess?" He said out loud

_'Confirmed classic chess non-pawn pieces.'_

"So this is what the old bastard was on about," Don muttered to himself before gravitating to the most powerful piece on the board, the white queen. But just as he was about to pick it up he decided to instead go for his favorite piece.

Don walked over and picked up a white knight, "First piece I move, and the only piece that can attack the black queen without exposing itself."

No sooner had Don placed the chess piece in the equipment storage bag on his hip then a loud screech echoed over the clearing. Don turned around to see a Death Stalker standing at the location he had shot from.

_Must have been attracted by my shots_, he reasoned. It took every bit of self control he had not to run, and instead return to stealth and move away slowly. But after thirty seconds of moving slowly Anastasia's voice cut into his thoughts.

_'Death Stalker altering course, stealth ineffective, recommend immediate withdraw!'_

_ I agree_, Don thought as he abandoned stealth and began running forward at over forty kph, not bothering to confirm Anastasia's observation.

The Death Stalker had the edge in both stride length and number of legs, a normal human could never outrun it. Fortunately Don was neither normal or human.

_'Estimate Death Stalker maximum velocity to be 38.8 kph, current velocity sufficient for escape and evasion.'_

At this Don glanced over his shoulder to see the Death Stalker was indeed losing ground. The beast let out an angry screech upon apparently realizing the same thing.

Don settled himself in for a good run back to the beacon cliffs, which at his current clip would take just over twenty minutes.

A couple minutes in he had just begun to enjoy the run when Anastasia announced, '_Warning airborne contact detected!'_

Don glanced up a head and spotted a large black bird clear the tree line in front of him. Aside from the animals increasable size the feature on it that attracted Don's eye the most was its _four_ red eyes.

_'Mature Nevermore! Evade left!'_

Without thinking Don threw his body in a hard roll to the left, before coming back up on to his feet and running for the cover of the tree line. As he rolled a line of arrow like feathers buried themselves in the ground where he had been just seconds ago.

_'Nevermore maximum air speed in excesses of 65 kph, chance of evasion low. Beacon cliffs provide no overhead cover.'_

_ We need to fight in other words._

_'Affirmative.'_

_ Can you get me a firing solution the next time it makes another low pass?_ Don thought as he unslung his rife and kneeled in a classic rifleman firing position.

_'Calculating_,' Don heard as the image in his scope began to shift. The Nevermoe began to turn as Don watched. '_Firing solution complete, recommend holding fire for five seconds until opponent is optimal in the attack corridor.'_

_Roger that,_ Don thought as his counted off the seconds in his head, putting the crosshairs on the Nevermore. Before he had had more time to prepare for his shot, but he didn't have that same opportunity with this shot. Don was an expert marksman and with Anastasia's help he felt sure he would hit his target.

He placed the crosshairs on the bird's head and when his mental count hit zero he fired. The high velocity round punched a hole in the front of the Nevermore's skull before bisecting its cranial vault and blowing out a large piece of its spine.

The giant bird pitched forward crashing into the trees. But Don had no time to savor his victory, as this engagement had cost him ground against the Death Stalker.

Wheeling around he sighted up on the Death Stalker less than a hundred meters away. "Zero, zero, zero," he called telling Anastasia to zero the rifle's scope for a flat trajectory.

Don placed the crosshairs in the dead center of the anthropoid's many eyes, knowing he had only one shot left.

_One shot,_ he thought as he squeezed the trigger. The harsh crack echoed through the forest as the round tore through the Death Stalker's head and internal organs before tearing out it's back. The Death Stalker crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut digging a furrow into the ground as it came to a stop.

"One hell of a shot," Don said to himself as he put his rifle back up, and began to jog to the cliffs.

It took Don almost a half hour to make it back to the cliffs. When he reached them he pulled out a metallic rod and flipped a switch at its base. The tip of the rod began to heat and would allow the rod to literally melt into the rock formation to secure itself.

Don paid out rope twirled the rod and threw it high and far at the cliff. He could tell it hit near the top, right where he was aiming. After testing the line he began to climb. He had no idea how long the climb took, he wasn't paying attention to that, but when he reached the end of his line he was still ten meters from the top.

Gripping some good foot and hand holds Don turned the rod back on, pulled it from the cliff and stowed it in his pack. Intensifying his grip on the side of the cliff Don launched himself ten meters up the cliff face and grabbed the top hauling himself the rest of the way up.

When he reached the top of the cliff Ozpin and Goodwitch were both waiting on him. He walked up to the headmaster and wordlessly handed the chess piece to him.

"Good work, I see you retrieved the white knight," Ozpin said as he handed Don a scroll. "One of the purposes of these pieces is to determine which team you are on the white knight will put you with…"

"No," Don interrupted.

"Excuse me?" Ozpin relied

"I said no," Don stated again, "no team I work alone."

"You do not make decisions here," Goodwitch stated coldly, "your expectance to Beacon is a privilege, one which can be revoked. We set the rules and you will follow them."

"I work alone," Don replied evenly.

As Goodwitch opened her mouth to continue the debate Ozpin held up his hand. Addressing Don, "Given you evident skill I think we can accommodate you, however there are some test and courses were you will have to work with a team to succeed. In those cases you will be working with the team your relic assigned you to, team RWBY. Your scroll has the relevant data about the four girls on the team, and should you change your mind you can join them."

"Don't count on it," Don stated evenly. In his head he thought, _Four girls! As if I don't already have enough females._

_I heard that._

_Exactly._

"What happened to your foot," Goodwitch suddenly said.

"What."

"You are favoring your left foot."

As Goodwitch said that Don felt a twinge of pain in right ankle. "Must have twisted it," he said as he remove his right boot. But as he removed the under armor the black and blue swelling told a different story.

"That's more than a twist your ankle is broken," Ozpin stated.

At Ozpin's statement and realizing the injury for himself Don became more and more aware of just how badly his ankle was hurting. _When did this happen_, Don thought and then remembered the slipping sensation when he was landing. _I must have broken my ankle when I landed._

Seeing the look on his face Goodwitch pointedly asked, "How did you break your ankle and not realize it, and how did you make it here _on_ a broken ankle?"

"I don't know." Don lied.


	2. Licking His Wounds

Chapter 2

"Guess what I just heard!" Yang boisterously shouted as she entered the dorm.

"Guessing would imply caring," Weiss said without looking up from her homework.

"Oh you will care princess," Yang rebutted.

"I told you not to call me that," Weiss said as she halted her work long enough to glare at Yang.

Yang continued ignored the daggers Weiss's eyes launched at her, "A guy just completed the Emerald Forest."

Blake glanced over the top of her book, "There were many males who completed the initiation."

"No that's not what I meant, I mean a guy just completed it yesterday," Yang clarified, "alone."

"Late entry?" Ruby asked.

"Why wouldn't they have put him off until next year, initiation was four weeks ago," Weiss questioned now mildly interested in what the blond had to say.

"Well the rumor mill might have the answer to that princess. It seems he wiped out a pack of Beowulfs and a Taijitu, not that impressive, but after that he killed both an adult Nevermore and Death Stalker. Again single handed," Yang relayed while ticking the kills off on her fingers.

Weiss didn't have to see Ruby to know her leader was already enthralled by Yang ridiculous story. "A Nevermore and a Death Stalker and alone on top of that, get real," Weiss said loud enough for Ruby to hear her.

"That's not even the craziest part" Yang said as she directed a large grin at Weiss, "when he made it back to the Beacon cliffs they realized that he broke his ankle."

"In the climb?" Ruby asked.

"No on landing, apparently even he didn't realize he broke his ankle."

"That's impossible," Weiss exclaimed as she sat up homework completely forgotten, "first there is no way that someone could break their ankle and not realize it. And second even if he did there is no way he could have completed the initiation with a broken ankle."

"Where exactly did you hear this?" Blake asked as she sat her book down.

"I heard it from Nora," Yang replied and everyone rolled their eyes, "who heard it from Pyrrha, who overheard it from Professors Oizpin and Port. Well the Grimm killing part, I heard the ankle thing from a few people, and he is in the infirmary for a broken ankle and passed the initiation."

"That doesn't mean he broke it on landing Yang," Weiss rebutted.

"No but he defiantly broke it somewhere and scaled a cliff on a broken ankle."

"Regardless," Weiss said waving away Yang's comment, "why did you comment that I would care?"

"Because there are rumors about what piece he retrieved," Yang said with her grin growing, "Guess piece the most prevalent rumor says he grabbed." Realization dawned on the faces the other three girls as Yang continued, "Yep he grabbed a cute little yellow pony."

"White Knight," Weiss replied feebly.

"He's goanna be on our team?" Ruby asked

"Where are we going to fit another bed?" Blake mused.

"Wait what do the other rumors say he picked up?" Weiss asked suddenly.

"Well I wouldn't exactly call them rumors," Yang said sheepishly, "more like everyone wondering if he grabbed the same piece they did."

"What's his name anyway," Blake asked.

"Don," Yang replied.

"Hang on you said he was in the infirmary right," Ruby asked and Yang nodded, "if he's goanna be out new teammate then maybe we should visit he and introduce ourselves."

"We don't know he'll be on our team for sure," Weiss interjected.

"Regardless I think it would be nice to go and greet the new student," Yang stated.

"Then it's settled," Ruby said with the easy authority she was becoming accustomed to as team leader, "we're going to the infirmary to meet Don."

Blake heard the first traces of the argument several doors away from the room the nurse had said was Don's room. "Hang on," she told her teammates, "I think someone else is in there."

"Then maybe we should go," Weiss suggested clearly egger to avoid this encounter.

"No we should go make sure," Ruby decided as she kept walking.

The four girls walked the remaining seventy feet down the narrow infirmary hall to room one hundred seventeen were their (possibly) new teammate was located. But as they got closer the argument got louder and was clearly coming from their destination.

"Well clearly he has a guest and we shouldn't intrude," Weiss said as she turned to leave.

"Blake can you tell what their saying," Yang asked ignoring Weiss's comment.

"Possibly," Blake said reluctantly, "but to hear it clearly I would need my full hearing."

"Oh, we'll cover you," Ruby said enthusiastically upon realizing Blake's dilemma.

"All right," Blake said still somewhat reluctant, but her own curiosity was killing her. The three other girls positioned themselves around Blake to hide her from view while trying, and failing, to look natural.

Shaking her head Blake removed her bow and placed her ear against the room's door. "I hear a male voice, probably Don," Blake said, "and a female voice, it's Professor Goodwitch." Blake then began to rely what she heard.

"… and I want an explanation," Goodwitch said, "You broke your ankle on landing in the Emerald forest, I've checked the recordings there was nowhere else you could have broken it."

"That's a statement Professor not a question," Don said evenly.

"Yet you where still able to move and fight, in fact our systems show at one point you were running at a sustained rate of more than forty kilometers per hour, on said broken ankle," Goodwitch continued without acknowledging his statements.

"I find it wise never to argue with computers, they usually win," Don stated nonchalantly.

"I want to know how this is possible, I am aware of no auric property or semblance that can explain this."

"My boot held my ankle in position allowing it to bare load," Don stated seriously.

"While I don't doubt the sturdy construction of your boot played a part in this, the pain alone should have prevented you from completing the Emerald Forest, as well as alerted you to the fact that the ankle was broken in the first place. Which you apparently were not. How?"

"Professor Ozpin has my full history why don't you ask him?"

"I'm asking you."

"Ah," Don said, "you did ask him, and he didn't tell you. So let me guess you decided to come down here and try to intimidate the answer out of me instead, figuring I'd be easier to scare then your boss."

Silence met Don's conjecture.

"I have spent eight months in a nasty slice of hell, with third degree burns covering half of my right thigh, impact fractures to my ribs and sternum, a gunshot wound in my left shoulder, and a piece of shrapnel that was scrapping against my left lung making every breath feel like a red hot knife was being run through my chest," Don said in a low, deadly tone. "And I have spent twenty two days locked in a cold dark room with only the restraints that were holding me to the chair, a couple of interrogators who came in at odd intervals to beat and slice me, and for company I had fire ants crawling on my ball sack.

"And I didn't tell them shit. So I don't think your polite but stern routine is going to get you very far. Now go."

"This isn't over," Goodwitch replied lamely.

"I disagree. Get. Out."

At the sound of clacking heels Blake jumped back from the door and motioned for the other girls to hide. They all scuttled back into a small alcove as Professor Goodwitch burst through the door and stormed off in the opposite direction.

"Do you think what he told Professor Goodwitch was true?" Yang asked.

"You mean about the fire ants," Ruby asked

"Yhea."

"Of course it's not true," Weiss stated as thought it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"People are capable of incredibly cruel acts," Blake simply stated.

"Well come on lets go meet our new teammate," Ruby ended the morbid conversation as she headed towards the door.

Ruby was the first to enter the room followed by Weiss then Blake and finally Yang. The infirmary room was sparse, containing only a bed, a tray, a bathroom next to the door, and a small holographic TV. But the room was not what drew Blake's attention, it was the boy laying in the bed. _He sure doesn't look like a _boy, she thought as she looked at Don, _he looks like a _man.

Even laying in the bed she could tell Don's height was well over six feet. His broad chest and thick arms were clearly visible underneath the medical gown, and Blake thought his sharp angular face was quite handsome. All in all he was an exquisite example of masculinity. Blake figured she would find him very attractive, if she were straight.

But it was not Don's large well built figure that made him look to be well over the 17 years old records claimed he was, though it certainly contributed. It was the look in his eyes, and she knew the way he would move would add to the effect, they carried a weight that was normally only acquired by decades of harsh fighting.

If Ruby or Yang noticed the weight of Don's gaze they gave no indication as both (unsuccessfully) attempted to stifle a gasp. Blake also could smell the musky scent of lust wafting from both of them. However she did not smell anything coming from Weiss.

Blake glance at the heiress, _Don is enough to get any red blooded girl's motor revving, _she thought. _Any _straight_ red blooded girl_, she mentally amended and filed it away to test later. But before she looked away Weiss glanced at her and their eyes locked.

_She sees the weight in his eyes too_, Blake realized, _maybe she isn't so shallow after all_. Her opinion went up a few notches.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Ziao Long," Don's voice brought Blake out of her thoughts.

"Xiao not Ziao," Yang managed to say around her infatuation.

"Xiao, Ziao, cow, bow, I really don't give a shit," Don said not really looking at them or paying them much attention. Before Yang or anyone else could comment on Don's lack of manors he continued, "You're here because you heard about my initiation and you also heard that I retrieved the White Knight piece."

"Ye…," Ruby began but Don continued without acknowledging her.

"When I play chess I always play white, white moves first and in my experience in battle the first move is an edge that is difficult to make up. In fact it can often decide the outcome of a battle, forcing your opponent to react to you rather then act on their own. Within the game my favorite piece is the knight, it is an indirect attacker, the only piece that can take down the queen without be a risk.

Ruby again opened her mouth but again Don didn't stop, "So you came down here to _welcome_ me into your team. Save your sentiments, I'm not joining your team."

"Ozpin let you PICK YOUR OWN TEAM!" Weis shouted.

"No," Don replied quietly, "I'm not on anyone's team. I work alone. However I have been informed that some of the trails are impossible to complete alone, and on these I will be working with the four of you. I don't care what Ozpin says or who the 'official' team leader is, when we work together _I_ will lead."

"Ruby is our team leader," Weiss said sternly, her tone earning a surprised glance from Yang and eyebrow raise from Blake. Again Blake found her opinion of Weiss going up.

At Weiss's outburst Don suddenly locked eyes with Ruby, "Have you lead under fire before?" he asked.

"Uh…I did lead the effort to take down the giant Nevermore we faced during our initiation," Ruby replied.

Blake saw Don gaze sharpen as he asked, "Have you lead four people under heavy enemy fire, against hundreds of sentient opponents doing everything in their power to put you _in the ground?_ Have you lead while feeling the heat off mortars falling all around you, shots from snipers cutting just millimeters above your head, enemy rounds kicking up dirt and vitrifying the ground around you, knowing that four other people's lives rest squarely on your shoulders? Have you felt the fear, confusion, and pain of intense battle, and push it aside to think clearly and coherently and above all make the right call?"

Don continued to gaze at Ruby. In that moment Blake understood exactly why Don's gaze carried such weight, and felt a great deal of sympathy and empathy. She had known men, and yes she thought of him as a man not a boy, like him in the White Fang so she knew better then to show such feelings.

"I didn't think so," Don's voice cut through the stunned silence like a whip, "now go."

As the girls turned and left the room Yang commented, "gonna get em self killed with his solo act."

Blake was in the rear of the group and as she exited the room she heard Don say something that sounded like 'we don't die.' Blake resisted the urge to turn around and look at the warrior.

Blake's mind quickly shifted away from Don as she looked at the corner ahead and saw an opportunity to test the theory she had developed during the conversation. As the other three girls rounded the corner Blake went straight and bumped into Weiss. Blake's hand 'accidentally' slipped under Weiss's skirt and her index finger contacted the apex between the other girl's legs.

Weiss let out a startled gasp as her checks turned bright red and calmly told Blake, "watch it."

Blake inhaled Weiss's scent and beneath the stink of embarrassment Blake caught the scent of lust. _A scantily clad hunk of a man can't get your motor revving but a girl accidently touching your womanhood does. My, my, my, Weiss you are a lesbian aren't you._

"Sorry," Blake said insincerely.


End file.
